/ 



THE 

NITRE BEDS 

OF THE 

UNITED STATES. 



COMPLIMENTS OF 

W. A. VANDERCOOK, 


EOS ANGELES, CAL. 


The Nitre Beds of the United States. 



ON THE 


DEPOSITS 


NITRATE OF SODA 

FOUND IN. THE COUNTIES OF 

/ 

INYO # SAN BERNARDINO, 

STATE OF CALIFORNIA. 





COPY 


iY 

J. M.'FORNEY, 

♦ # 

Mining Engineer and Examiner of Mines. 


V. I 


26 




\ 

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Santa Monica, Cal. 




Copyright 1892, by IV. A. Vandercook. 
All rights reserved. 


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EACH ANO fractional PARTS tmEREOT 

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a.w.unthank C.E. 

MAY 1892 

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Santa Monica, Cat., August i. 1892. 

W. A. Vandercook, Esq., Eos Angeles, Cal. 

Dear Sir: —In compliance with your request to explore and 
examine into the Nitre Deposits said to exist in the vicinity of 
Death Valley, along the line of the proposed Salt Eake & Eos 
Angeles Railway, I have the honor to submit herewith my obser¬ 
vations and report: 

HISTORY. 

The existence of Nitrate of Soda in the low rolling hills on 
the Armagosa river, has been an open secret for many years, and 
is consequently no new discovery. The first locations of these 
Nitre beds were made some nine years ago, by settlers living in 
the neighborhood, at the instigation of a traveling chemist, who 
first found this mineral in the pursuit of his investigations into the 
resources of this region. Very little importance seems to have 
been attached, however, to such a valuable discovery, and as no 
paying quantities of it were found at that time, the locations were 
neglected and allowed to lapse. 

Subsequent investigations at different times, by other parties, 
shared the same fate; being abandoned on account of their failure 
to find much of value. Very little intelligent prospecting appears 
to have been done by anyone, being mostly confined to sampling 
the hills in a superficial way, have assays made, and if the results 
did not come up to the standard of their expectations, to pro¬ 
nounce the deposits as worthless. 

Had these slender clews, obtained from the different assays, 
been properly followed up, these beds would have undoubtedly 
been discovered and worked years ago. The lack of time and 
money, perhaps, played an important role in this connection, 
however, with nearly all the locators, as explorations of that 
nature are rather expensive, taking capital to back such enter¬ 
prises. 

The exploring party, fitted out by your direction, consisting 
of mining and civil engineers, chemist, photographer, and assis¬ 
tants (nine people all told), thoroughly organized and equipped 
for scientific work, left Eos Angeles April 28th, 1892, returning 
June 5th; the whole investigation, including preliminary exami¬ 
nation, covering a period of two months. 

The success of this expedition in search of the Nitre beds 
and the ultimate demonstration of the existence of extensive and 
paying deposits of this valuable salt, found on the surface, marks 
the first step towards developing one of the grandest coming 
industries on this Coast, and opens a new era in the history of 


3 


California mining, adding another mineral, heretofore unknown 
on this Northern Continent, to the wealth of our State. 

Travelling through this barren and uninviting region, one 
can scarcely conceive that millions of dollars could lay there, 
scattered all over the surface of the hills, passed unnoticed by 
thousands of men, hunting fortunes in the dim distance beyond, 
while right in their path, gold lay thick beneath their feet. 

GEOGRAPHY. 

These Nitre Beds are situated in the northern part of San 
Bernardino county, and extend across the boundary line into the 
southern part of Inyo. The nearest point of communication is 
Dagget, a small station on the Atlantic & Pacific Railway, in 
San Bernardino county, and from there, following the old over¬ 
land wagon road to Garlic Springs, a distance of 35 miles, consti¬ 
tutes the first day’s travel for all teams. The water supply of 
this spring, collected from seapage of the hills, is ample for all 
purposes, the whole year round. Elevation 2455 feet above sea' 
level. 

From Garlic Springs to the Caves, a distance of 30 miles, 
composes the second da3^’s drive. Here the water has also been 
collected from seapage, by tunneling into the hill and sinking 
shafts, an abundant supply being thereby obtained. Elevation 
3970 feet. 

From the Caves, the road leads on a sharp down-grade of 12 
miles, to the foot of Death Valley. The elevation at this point is 
580 feet. 

The main Overland goes from here, by Saratoga and Resting 
Springs, north to Pioche, while a less traveled road turns easterly 
and follows the partially dry bed of the Armagosa river some 22 
miles to Evan’s Ranch, which, 011 account of its favorable geo¬ 
graphical position and fine water supply, forms the pivot of all 
operations. 

Under the head of “Water” and “Ranch,” a more detailed 
description will be given. 

SURVEY. 

The total acreage surveyed by Mr. A. W. Unthank, C. E., 
surveyor in the field of this expedition, and to whose map, 
attached to this report, reference is hereby made, comprises an 
area of 6600 acres, laid out in quarter sections of 160 acres each, 
and fractional parts thereof, 

The starting point selected by him, as an initial, and by 
which every location is governed, defining its proper position on 
the map, is the boundary monument between the counties of Inyo 


4 


and San Bernardino, on the Armagosa river, erected here, by 
official survey, in 1876. 

Reference maps of the work done in each county, were also 
made and filed for record, with the notices, at their respective 
count}’ seats, in order to avoid any controversy that might arise 
in the future, as to their proper position and location. 

The accomplishment of the whole survey in the short time 
alloted, owing to the many difficulties and obstacles encountered, 
reflects greatly to Mr. Unthank’s credit, for his constant and un¬ 
tiring work, from start to finish. 

GEOLOGY. 

First, General Observations:— 

Descending from the Caves, and entering the southern part 
of Death Valley, the geological features of which have never been 
satisfacorily described by anyone, and, I presume, never will be, as 
climatic conditions prevent lengthy observations, one cannot fail 
to notice the essentially volcanic character of this whole region. 
Although the metamorphosedcondition of the rocks composing 
the hills, classes them among the older formations, yet the many 
evidences of a more recent state of intense igneous action, observed 
in the cones and little hills of lava and basaltic trap, show them 
to have been pushed up through fissures in the surface of the 
plain by strong subterraneous disturbances of a later date, con¬ 
firming my belief that, after the close of the Jurassic period, when 
the most prominent mountains had already been lifted and 
assumed their position in the geography of this great basin, strong 
subsequent volcanic forces caused the strange geological condition 
everywhere observable in the jumble and confusion of the dif¬ 
ferent rock masses. 

The aspect of this valley, viewed from any prominent point, 
where the eye can have uninterrupted sweep, presents perhaps 
one of the most striking panoramic scenes of utter desolation and 
majestic loneliness imaginable. Like a grand silhouette, the 
sterile mountains and hills, clear and well-defined, appear to rise, 
phantom-like, from the depression of the valley, seemingly with¬ 
out any connection of slope with the plane upon which they stand. 
The elements seem to have combined with nature to destroy and 
blight with a withering touch all semblance of organic life, mak¬ 
ing it a region of grand eternal silence, thoroughly deserving of 
the name of Death Valley, so fittingly applied. 

During explorations of this valley in 1874-6, crossing 
over from Cerro Gordo in Inyo County, my observations in June, 
1874, computed the lowest point at 127 feet below sea level, the 


whole depressed area covering about 600 square miles—60 in length 
by 10 in width. 

Countless ages of erosion, the collection of detritus by great 
floods, the accumulation of sedimentary deposits by water of this 
former inland sea, each in their turn, have as yet failed to fill this 
enormous chasm, and, what we now call Death Valley proper, 
was once, in my opinion, the grandest fissure on this continent. 
Almost “C”-shaped in form, with a general trend of about north 
18 degrees east, walled in on both sides with lofty mountain 
chains, rearing their peaks from eight to ten thousand feet, alike 
in characteristics, formation and evidences of origin, my asser¬ 
tion of the forming of this fissure, between these rock barriers, 
might yet be confirmed by future investigations. The significant 
fact that 60 miles due west from the north end of the valley, on the 
same latitudinal plane, the highest peak of the Sierra Nevadas 
rises to the height of 15,000 feet, must not be overlooked or 
underestimated in this connection. 

Seco7id: The Ceay Beds— 

-> • 

Following the branch road to the east and north, up the 
Armagosa river, leaving Death Valley behind to the south, a 
gradual change is noticeable. For a distance of some ten or fif¬ 
teen miles the river has cut a wide channel into the alluvial gravel 
drifts piled up ou both sides to considerable depth. The eruptive 
hills disappear, and the whole country assumes the shape of a vast 
corrugated inclined plain, fringed by mountain chains denoting 
its limits. 

This great gravel-covered plateau, and where the clay depos¬ 
its containing the Nitrates are found, contains about from five 
to six hundred square miles, and comprises the whole of the area 
encircled by the Kingston mountains on the east, the “Resting” 
Springs on the north, and the Armagosa chain on the west, taper¬ 
ing to the open south, in even ratio of descent until it merges 
into Death Valley. 

This gravel, spreading like a mantel over the whole country, 
covering and completely hiding the underlying strata, was carried 
there during the great Champlain period to the depth of from one 
to one hundred and fifty feet. It is only where the erosive forces 
of nature have washed away the top cover of this alluvial, that 
the clay beds appear below. How far they may extend under¬ 
neath the gravel, their depth and condition is conjectural and 
cannot be definitely stated at present. As only the exposed parts 
of the Nitre bearing hills came under my immediate observation, 
I will confine my remarks exclusively thereto. 


6 


The formation of these clay deposits in this great plain oc¬ 
curred, undoubtedly, in the Eocene tertiary, during the long 
interval of subsidance, characteristic of that period, and are the 
results of sedimentary marine deposits slowly accumulating layer 
after layer of fine clay to the depth of 800 feet, bedded on the 
upturned eruptive rocks beneath, in perfect horizontal strata, show¬ 
ing no sign of having undergone any disturbance since their deposit. 

The first series of exposed hills are met with about seven 
miles below Evans’ ranch, to the right of the wagon road, and 
about half a mile east, distinctly visible for a long distance on 
account of their peculiar creamy or chocolate color, contrasting 
strongly with the darkish gray of the alluvial drift surrounding 
and partly covering them. 

For convenience sake of description, I will refer to these clay 
hills as the “lower Nitre beds,” in contradistinction of the “upper 
beds” at Evans’ ranch, to which reference will be made in proper 
order hereafter. 

Third: Lower Nitre Beds. 

Entering a small gap between two gravel ridges close to the 
river a series of low conical-shaped hills, some detached, others 
connected, rises, terrace-like, from the plain towards the main 
ridge, of which they once formed an integral part. They are 
entirely destitute of any traces of vegetation, lightly covered yet, 
in some places, with drift boulders, and vary in height from four 
to five hundred feet. 

Atmospheric action, rains and floods have cut into and 
eroded the original beds, serrating, rounding, and shaping them 
into their present peculiar form. The perfect stratifications, 
reposing conformable in their original position, show the different 
layers to be from six inches to ten feet in thickness. The appar¬ 
ent tilt that some of the hills assume, has been accomplished 
solely by the action of running water underneath, underming 
their base, and forcing them to lean over, as they filled the cav¬ 
ities thus produced. 

The clays in their dry state, are very hard and compact, but 
when water is applied, they melt and slum away very quickly, 
due, of course, to the great amount of soluble saline matter they 
contain. This action is very plainly visible in the depression of 
the ridges connecting the hills, where the collected water, 
finding no outlet, has cut its channel almost perpendicularly 
down into their very center, like a shaft sunk by hand, coming 
out at the base in tunnel-like openings. I have seen some of 
these water-made shafts several hundred feet deep. 


7 


Fourth , Origin:— 

The mud beds of the Eocene carried and contained the enor¬ 
mous amount of animal and plant life, the decomposition of 
which, after the water receded, made the Nitrates of to-day. 
Nitrification is the process of fermentative oxidation, which 
always sets in when moist nitrogenous animal or vegetable matter 
is left to itself, in the presence of air and any basic substance. 

The oxidation of the nitrogen of the atmosphere, is also pro¬ 
moted thereby, and associates itself readily with any azotized 
decomposed organic substance, adding its portion to the mysteri¬ 
ous chemistry of nature. The artificial Nitre farms of Europe 
are proof that this theory regarding the origin of Nitrates is, in 
the main, correct. 

As organic life was not evenly distributed throughout all the 
different strata of these mud beds, it will naturally follow that 
some layers of clay will simply show traces of Nitre, while others, 
perhaps above or below them, will yield a marked percentage. 

Fifth , Description of the Nitre:— 

The Nitre itself, a very soluble white crystalline salt, perme¬ 
ating the clay, was found to cover the hills from apex to base, 
ranging in thickness from five inches to two feet, overlaid by 
about six inches of loose decomposed slum, the residue of 
bleached-out clay, of the water-washed strata. 

In the gradual process of erosion, and the wearing away of 
the clays by periodical rains and floods, the Nitrate, upon solu¬ 
tion in the upper layer, would immediately be taken up and held 
by the strata below it, and so on in rotation, through the long 
period of years, thus making the hills themselves concentrators 
on a grand scale, never allowing one iota of this salt to escape, 
until the hills were either leveled with the plain, or the Nitre 
lying on the slopes would come in contact with the flow of water 
at their base, in which case it would be dissolved and swept away. 
The tenacity of this clay to hold and retain the Nitre, is shown 
by the fact that the surplus of any strata, as soon as dissolved, 
and flowing down the slopes, would be greedily taken up by 
every clay seam it came in contact with, thus covering, at differ¬ 
ent angles, all the horizontal layers of the hills; the loose matter 
on top protecting and preserving it, never allowing the rains to 
come in direct contact with the salt. These “ Eower Nitre Beds” 
are a fine exemplification of this concentrating process, and I may 
safely state here, that there is not a single hill in this whole area 
of 2720 acres, that does not carry paying quantities of Nitrate. 


8 


The best and plainest illustration, perhaps, of this whole 
problem, in a nutshell, and one that grasps the situation at a 
glance (homely though it may be), is the comparison of these 
Nitre-bearing hills to a sugar-coated cake, with a napkin thrown 
over it. Remove the covering, which, in this case, constitutes 
the few inches of top slum, and the Nitre appears below as the 
frosted matter, while the cake itself represents the body of the hill. 

Sixth , The Upper Beds:— 

The clay exposures in the immediate vicinity of Evan’s 
Ranch, four miles north on an air line from'those below, are, in 
fact, only their continuation, heavy gravel deposits filling the 
intervening space. Although these exposures here are larger 
and grander, comprising 3880 acres, the concentration of the dif¬ 
ferent Nitre strata has been more difficult, on account of the 
steep declivities of the hills, and their perpendicular slopes. 
While the general characteristics are the same, and apply, in 
fact, to all exposed surfaces in this great belt, erosion is here more 
marked, besides presenting different geological features, not met 
with in the lower beds. 

The river has also played an important part in the shaping 
of these clay beds, having cut its channel through to the 
depth of three hundred feet. About one mile west of the ranch, 
large flats were made, by the melting away and leveling process 
of the clay strata, the water having evidently been backed up for 
a long period, until it could cut its way through what is now 
known as Merrell mountain, a short range of highly eruptive 
rocks, that rise some two hundred and fifty feet. 

Wherever the sloping is more gentle and the hills present a 
rounded appearance, indicative of slower erosion, Nitre is sure to 
be found in largely paying quantities. The accumulation of this 
mineral on less favored slopes could not be expected to exist there; 
the clays having been torn from their bedding by strong dynamic 
forces, cutting the hills almost in two, leaving deep, wide water 
courses, and sharp, steep sides. Whatever Nitre might have been 
concentrated there, was evidently washed down the precipitous 
slopes to the bottom, dissolved and lost with the flowing water. 

The stratification also seems to be coarser and stronger, its' 
color of a more whitish gray, and, in my opinion, containing less 
organic life than the chocolate hills of the lower beds. Tne lay¬ 
ers here attain a thickness of some twenty feet, strata of sand¬ 
stone, strongly impregnated with lime appear between, while in 
some places layers of tufa, from three to six feet, will alternate 
with the clays to the height of several hundred feet, capped by 


9 


alluvial drift. This tufa has evidently been deposited at the 
same time, but has no bearing upon the Nitrate, containing mostly 
silica. It is of the pumiceous variety, and the result of commin¬ 
uted volcanic rocks. In color it is a dead white, somewhat oolitic 
in structure, very light, making a good building stone for which 
purpose it is largely used by the settlers. The nature of this vol¬ 
canic conglomerate is well understood, and represents the remains 
and fragments of lava knitted together by aqueous action and 
deposited as a sediment during submersion. In some places, num¬ 
erous strata of gypsum cross and re-cross the clays in all directions, 
forming sometimes distinctly traceable ledges, six inches thick, of 
transparent plates called “selenite.” 

Another variety, “satin spar,” pure white, and delicately 
fibrous, is also met with in nearly all the beds in small quantities; 
this gypsum, together with common and glauber salt, being the 
ever accompanying elements of the Nitrates. Traces of free iodine 
are also found, but not sufficient to warrant attention. 

In confirmation of every evidence as to real age of these de¬ 
posits, the valuable discovery by Mr. Unthank of the remains of 
a mammal, embedded in the clay, forms a very important factor. 
It was found about one-half mile west of the ranch, in a dry 
water course, on the side of a worn-away stratum. The body of it 
had disappeared, and only the head remained, whose enormous 
dimensions were still plainly to be seen in the space it had once 
occupied, but the decay of ages had done its work so thoroughly 
as to leave nothing but a fine dusty powder behind; the few 
crumbling pieces of the skull and jaw, two incissors, and four 
large molars, was all that could be recovered, and they were care¬ 
fully packed up, and preserved for future reference. 

This animal, according to standard authority on that subject, 
is called a Palaeotherium and belongs to the Herbivores of the 
early Eocene, forming the connecting tie in the serial line of pro¬ 
gression and marking the pedigree of the horse family of today, 
holding equal claim of being the true progenitor of the Tapiroids. 

MINING. 

Establishing the fact, after many vexatious experiments and 
•trials, that the Nitre was deposited superficially over the hills and 
could only be looked for on the surface where Nature had con¬ 
centrated it, my next step, in order to determine its extent and 
depth, was to run trenches on the different hill-sides. The num¬ 
ber of cuts opened up in the lower Nitre beds by the working 
party amounted to one hundred and two exposures and, as stated 
before, Nitre in paying quantities was found on almost every hill 


10 


and undulating surface of this whole bed. This salt is readily 
seen and recognized with the naked eye ; the clay containing it 
is full of whitish flakes and crystals coating the sides and filling 
the pores of the different strata. Below it, is what I call bedrock, 
a hard clay, barren in appearance, containing no crystals and as 
readily recognized as the nitre itself. 

In the upper beds, about one hundred and forty-eight cuts 
showed Nitre in the major portion of them, but the acreage of 
paying territory could not be fully defined and ascertained. The 
highest percentage, however, was obtained here on the lower 
fringes of the hills, in deposits of almost two feet in thickness. 
Perhaps, when the value of this whole area has been fully dem¬ 
onstrated, it will compare very favorably with the more uniform 
deposits of the lower beds. 

The working problem for profit; that is, the extraction of the 
crude material for reduction, is perhaps the simplest of all meth¬ 
ods in the range of mining; classing with borax, and other efflo¬ 
rescent salts found above ground. 

With pick and shovel one man can easily loosen and handle 
seven tons daily, allowing the utmost limit of twenty-five cubic 
feet in place to represent one ton of 2,000 pounds. 

Horse scrapers and plows, where they can be used to advan¬ 
tage, especially on the low, gently sloping hills, would yield still 
better results. The six inches of loose clay on top should first be 
removed by scraper and discarded, as it contains but one or two 
per cent, of Nitre. The plow should then be employed to loosen 
up the whole of the Nitre-bearing ground, when it can then be 
scraped down the slope, loaded in wagons and carted off to the 
reduction works. 

Any man of ordinary intelligence will be able, after a few 
days’ practice, to thoroughly understand what is required. Teams 
can drive around the base of the hills to almost any part of the 
beds. The dry water courses afford natural roads which will 
require but very little work to make them answer all purposes. 

Tabor is plentiful, and can be procured anywhere without 
difficulty. White labor commands $2 per day and board, while 
Chinese can be hired for $1.25 per day and board themselves. 

METALLURGY. 

The metallurgy, practically called the art of making money 
out of ore, is as simple a process as its mining. The crude reduc¬ 
tion as employed in Chili is here given for illustration: The 
Nitrous clay is worked in kettles for about one-half hour, extract¬ 
ing the salts with hot water, and allowing the suspended earth to 


11 


settle. The clarified liquor obtained is then transferred to another 
vessel, where it deposits part of its chloride oi sodium at a high 
temperature. It is then drawn off to vats where, on cooling, it 
yields its crystals of purified Nitre. 

A great many suggestions might here be made, in reference to 
the most advantageous method of working the crude clay and the 
plant required to obtain the greatest results at the least possible 
outlay, for instance:— 

First :—The simple boiling of the clay in large tanks, say of 
a capacity of ten tons each, to dissolve all the salts, and then, 
after settling, draw the liquor off in vats and evaporate by solar 
heat. 

Second :—A still simpler way might be to make use of the 
water power of the Armagosa, running a io-inch pipe line of about 
four miles to get sufficient pressure, and wash the Nitre off the 
hills, first into wide, flat reservoirs and evaporate without further 
trouble as before. 

Third :—A portable electric plant of sufficient capacity might 
be used, perhaps, to better advantage in the rolling foothills than 
the hydraulic method just mentioned. In fact, there are many 
ways to extract the salts from the clay, but in refining for market 
this crude material, although an excellent fertilizer as it is, must 
be boiled at a high temperature in order to rid it of its chloride 
of sodium. The most practical manner of working these deposits 
with the resources on hand will naturally suggest itself when 
work actually commences. Personally, I am strongly in favor of 
an electric plant, which, although costly at first, will eventually 
prove to be the cheapest in the end. 

Mr. M. Iy. Wade (of the firm of Wade & Wade, of Los 
Angeles), the chemist in the field accompanying this expedition, 
whose accurate and reliable work is a guarantee of its correct¬ 
ness, gives the ge?ieral average from samples of crude salts 
extracted by boiling at 8.26 per cent, of Nitrate of Soda. 

From a careful computation of all the assays furnished me 
from different sources, I place the working results of the nitre 
bearing strata at about 12 per cent, of Nitrate of Soda. 

A complete analysis of certain samples of clay was made 
August 24th, 1887, by the California State Mining Bureau, which 
I herewith append as reference:— 



Insoluable 

Matter. 

Sodium 

Chloride. 

Calcium 

Sulphate. 

Sodium 

Sulphate. 

Nitrate of 
Soda. 

Moisture 

1— 

62.2 

12. 

2.5 

1.3 

17. 

4.6 

2— 

69. 

10.8 

2.4 

1.6 

20.9 

5.3 


Average 19 percent. Nitrate of Soda. 


12 








These samples were taken from the upper beds by Mr. Lowry 
Silver, in June of that year, at the request of Mr. S. Heyden- 
feldt, Jr., Vice-Chairman of the Bureau at that time. 

The Nitrate of Soda commonly called Salt-petre is the only 
Nitre of importance, from a commercial standpoint, being the best 
producer of acids. The Nitrate of Potash found in India is infer¬ 
ior in this respect, while the Nitrate of Lime found in Kentucky 
and Tennessee is of little practical importance. 

In the calculation of these deposits or the reduction of the 
whole problem to dollars and cents, I have taken the lowest pos¬ 
sible figures consistent with facts, in order to avoid the error so 
common among mining men, first, by deceiving themselves, sec¬ 
ond, by deceiving others. 

The percentage may not be as high as the deposits of Chili in 
their palmy days, yet the unsurpassed advantages met with here, 
requiring hardly any outlay of capital, and the unlimited home 
market for its product, counterbalances in a great measure what¬ 
ever superiority might be claimed by that country. 

Taking the lowest possible average of thickness to be six 
inches, then one acre is equal to 21,780 cubic feet. Allowing 
twenty-five cubic feet in place to produce one ton, each acre will 
yield 871 tons. Assuming the average of 11 per cent, of Nitre, 
it will take in round figures about nine tons of crude to produce 
one ton of refined Nitrate, or 97 tons per acre. This, at the low-. 
est market value of $31 per ton, makes each Nitre bearing acre 
worth $3,007 in United States gold coin. Nitre in Los Angeles 
at this date is quoted at $50 per ton, wholesale. 

From outside sources I have learned that the Chilean beds 
are already showing signs of exhaustion and that their present 
average percentage ranges even below the figure assumed in my 
calculation. 

WATER SUPPLY. 

The Armagosa river, heading in Lincoln county, Nevada, runs 
in a general north and south course till it sinks in the sand and 
gravel-wash at the south end of Death Valley. On both sides of 
• this stream, for a distance of about six miles, following its 
meandering line, the greater portion of the Nitre beds are situ¬ 
ated. For about nine months of the year, and in its normal 
state, the river carries about eighty miners’ inches of water, 
measured under a 4-inch pressure equal to discharge of 96 cubic 
feet per minute, but in rainy season it becomes a large, turbulent 
stream, overflowing its banks. It has an average fall of twenty- 
seven feet per mile, measured by Aneroid barometer, which, how- 


13 


ever, is not altogether reliable. Rather brackish to the taste, 
containing borax and different alkalies in solution; both men and 
animals, however, can use it in case of necessity without harm. 
This water power will naturally be a great factor in the reduction 
of the Nitre, and, as wood is scarce in that country, electricity 
will have to supply its place, generated by dynamos driven by 
Pelton wheels, put up at the most convenient place and trans¬ 
mitting power or heat from there by wire to any point desirable. 

The fresh water supply for all other purposes comes from two 
springs on Evans Ranch, having a flow of ten miners’ inches the 
year round, equal to a discharge of 129,600 gallons in twenty- 
four hours, and is designated on the map as Willow Creek, emp¬ 
tying its surplus into the Armagosa river about three-fourths of a 
mile below. 

RANCH. 

The narrow strip of land forming the southern outlet of Tecopah 
Canon in the very heart of the Nitre beds, like an oasis in the 
desert, is, perhaps, one of the most fertile and productive spots 
in the whole country for many miles around. This ranch, owned 
by Mr. Evans, comprises a quarter-section, of 160 acres, 80 acres 
of which are level and susceptible of cultivation. The soil is a 
sandy loam and produces enormous crops of alfalfa, corn, wheat 
and barley with little irrigation, while all of the deciduous fruits 
flourish and ripen to perfection very early in the season. The 
whole of the cultivatable ground has been highly improved and 
surrounded with shade trees. 

While the adjacent mines were in operation, thousands of 
dollars yearly were realized from the sale of its fruits and vege¬ 
tables. The mean elevation of twenty different readings places 
this ranch at 1397 feet above .sea level. 

FUEL. 

This supply is limited to the product of the ranch and its 
immediate surroundings—about fifty cords of willow wood and 
some ten cords of mesquit will constitute the whole total, ample, 
however, for all ordinary purposes. Wood from outside sources 
cannot be procured for less than $9 per cord. Coal is found in 
great abundance on the line of survey of the L. A. & S. L- R. R., 
and will in time come into market as the cheapest fuel obtainable. 

METEOROLOGY. 

The climate of this region, with its pure dry air, possesses 
the same advantages as any other parts of the semi-tropics. Out¬ 
door work can be pursued the whole year round, with the excep- 


14 


tion of perhaps two or three weeks during the rainy season. The 
annual rainfall amounts to about eight or ten inches. 

Although the thermometer during the summer months be¬ 
comes ambitious, and sometimes rises above the ioo° mark, yet 
these warm spells seldom last over two or three days, being tem¬ 
pered by strong southerly winds and cloudy days. The nights 
are ever cool and pleasant, at least, I found them so during my 
whole stay. Observations during the month of May, give the 
mean thermometer reading at 99 0 in the shade at noon. 


Lowest temperature, 

79 0 

Cloudy days, - 

- 6 

Clear and windy, 

18 

Warm days, 

- 7 

Heavy rains sometimes occur 

in August and September, 


while the ordinary rainy weather embraces the months of January 
and February, those seasons, however, being very irregular. 

RAILROAD. 

The advent of the Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railway will be 
a great incentive in the development of this section of the country. 
The line, as surveyed and staked, follows the Armagosa river 
nearly the whole length, passing through the center of the Nitre 
beds. This route, according to the report of the engineers, has 
been pronounced the most practicable of the different lines pro¬ 
posed, and will undoubtedly be finally selected. The party of 
engineers now in the field looking up the resources along the 
proposed road, have met with such encouraging offers from the 
miners and ranchers, that its construction at an early date is 
almost a foregone conclusion. I have informed the chief of that 
party by letter of the value and extent of this new find, which, 
in connection with the others, will add considerable weight to any 
argument in favor of building the road as now proposed. Hun¬ 
dreds of tons of Nitre will be shipped monthly to different parts, 
when once this industry is in full operation, almost warranting 
the building of a railroad on its own merits, without outside aid 
to swell its freight receipts. 

Conclusion: The magnitude of the discovery of this valu¬ 
able mineral, and its importance as a competitive factor in the 
markets of the world, from a commercial standpoint, can hardly 
be estimated at present. As the true extent of this great deposit 
is as yet unknown, and may embrace a still larger area than my 
limited explorations gave credit to, I have no hesitancy to state 
that when further search in that direction reveals the real situa¬ 
tion of things, Nitre may not only be found superficially on the 


15 



hills, but many other unlooked for places, and under conditions 
not yet demonstrated. The different locations, as shown on the 
map, cover, however, all the exposed Nitre-bearing hills—the 
cream, so to speak, of everything found of any value at present. 

The unsurpassed advantages that these deposits possess over 
all competitors, either in Chile or India, as regards favorable 
location, cheapness of mining, magnificent water power and un¬ 
limited home market, place them foremost in the great show 
window of commercial enterprises, furnishing a safe channel for 
conservative investment of solidity and merit. 

The time is not far distant when these California beds will 
be a dangerous rival of our little sister republic, which now sways, 
controls and holds in its hand the balance of power of the Nitre 
trade. 

I remain, dear sir, very respectfully yours, 

J. M. Forney, Mining Engineer. 


APPENDIX. 


Extracts Concerning Nitrate of Soda Manufacture. 

The Province of Tarapaca, formerly a part of Peru, but 
ceded to Chile, in 1881, as a war indemnity under certain condi¬ 
tions, and the Province of Antofagasta, acquired by Chile from 
Bolivia and joining Tarapaca on the south, contain the largest 
deposits of crude Nitrate of Soda yet discovered. These tracts 
of land are perfect deserts, lying within the rainless region, ex¬ 
tending Irom the northern part of Peru to the main cordillera of 
the Andes, a distance of about ninety miles. The point on the 
slope of the mountain where the deposits of “caliche” or impure 
Nitrate are found is some 500 or 600 feet higher than the valley, 
but the deposit diminishes in quantity and richness as the valley 
is approached and disappears entirely at the bottom. An exam¬ 
ination of the workings of these beds shows, first that the surface 
to the depth of eight or ten inches is covered with a layer of fine 
loose sand; that underneath the sand is found a conglomerate of 
various substances cemented by sulphate of lime into a hard, 
compact mass to a depth of six to ten feet, called the “costra,” or 
crust; and that it is invariably just below this crust that the 
caliche is found. The caliche is quarried by blasting with a 
coarse-grained powder, of which as much as 150 pounds are used 
at a single blast. Neither dynamite or nitro-glycerine is used, as 
either would shatter and pulverize the caliche so as to occasion a 
serious loss. After being brought to the surface, the caliche is 
carefully assorted by experts called “particulars,” broken into 
pieces double the size of an orange, and carted by rail to the 
refinery establishment. These refineries are generally situated 
on the sea coast where water and fuel can be more conveniently 
obtained,—the fuel coming from the bituminous coal beds of 
Southern Chile, and the water being taken from the sea and con¬ 
densed. This condensation of sea water is necessary because of 
the scarcity of other water in that section. 

The impure caliche is first dissolved in the water at a high 
temperature in long tanks. Then, in order to extract the iodine 
held in solution (of which there are 50 grams in every 150 kilo¬ 
grams of impure Nitrate), the solution is drawn into a separate 
tank and charged with sulphate of soda, the resultant chemical 
change forming the iodine of sodium, precipitating the iodine, 
which is then refined and sublimated by condensation. The re¬ 
maining original solution is carried in pipes to enormous shallow 
pans and the water evaporated by artificial heat, leaving the pure 

17 



Nitrate to become crystallized. The vapor caused by this evapo¬ 
ration is condensed and saved for further use. 

Some figures given by Consul-General Walker showing the 
magnitude of this Nitrate trade will cause surprise. The export 
of Nitrate of Soda from the ports of Tatal, Antofagasta, Iquique, 
Pisagua and Topilla (Iquique furnishing two-thirds of the whole) 
for the ten years ending the 31st of December, 1888, was 4,574,440 
English tons, valued at $231,411,183, upon which export duties 
were collected at the rate of $1 per 100 kilograms, to the amount 
of $87,470,622. During the same period, the exports of iodine 
amounted to 1,588,074 kilograms, with a total value of $19 333,- 
757, upon which the government collected in export duties 
$1,172,576. 

Chile collected in export duties on Nitrate during 1889 over 
$19,000,000. 

Of the large export of Chilean Nitrate during the year 1888, 
Germany took 284,000; Holland, 33,400; Belgium, 84,800; France, 
156,500, and Great Britain 104,800 tons. The price in the English 
market varies from £9 10s to ^10 per ton. 

Importation of Nitrate of Soda into the United States for ten 
months of the present year, 1891-2, amounted to 176,370,880 lbs.» 
valued at $2,681,426. 

The chief use to which it is applied in European countries is 
as a fertilizer; in Germany and France largely in the cultivation 
of the sugar-beet. Very considerable quantities, however,—as 
much as 30 per cent of the whole, perhaps,—are consumed in the 
manufacture of nitric acid, nitro-glycerine, dynamite, gunpowder, 
etc. In the preparation of the last named article, the soda nitrate 
is first converted into the nitrate of potash, on account of the 
latter being less absorbent of atmospheric moisture. 




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